Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

❓ Is Pagewood Park a Retirement Village?

No. Some people may think it looks like a retirement village but it isn't. It is a Cluster Title development and is a bit like a block of units which is spread out horizontally and which includes some common (shared) areas. Each property has its own title which can be bought or sold just like any private house. Some people living at Pagewood Park have a sense of being part of a shared community and there are some social functions which are held in the Community Hall.

❓ Can an Owner make Changes on or to a Lot?

• Inside - Yes.   Inside the building, there is no problem.

• Outside - Only after written approval.   Outside the building (on or to the external surfaces, as well as the front and back yards), an owner MAY be able to make changes BUT only AFTER obtaining written approval from the Committee of Management, see Additional Rule 4. The rule aims to retain the look of Pagewood Park. Since Dec 2018 clause "5.2 External appearance of lots" of the Victorian Owners Corporation Regulations (model rules) also applies, it says "An owner or occupier of a lot must obtain the written approval of the owners corporation before making any changes to the external appearance of their lot."

• When making written application owners need to provide enough detail for a committee member to understand the application and its potential effect on the Estate. Details of the work and the location may be important. Some applications may benefit from a diagram - after all a picture is worth 1,000 words. Example: just applying for "a new air conditioner" is not good enough.  Owners should also give committee members sufficient time, say at least a week, to consider the application before a committee meeting. 

❓ Front Garden Areas.

The Owners Corporation has some responsibility to maintain the privately owned front garden areas. The areas are documented in Schedule 1 of Plan of Cluster Subdivision CS1034. The Committee of Management organises the regular mowing of the front lawns while the owners look after their garden beds, the plants, the shrubs, and the trees.

❓ Waste Bins.

The Pagewood Park Bin Policy states:

• • Bins are not to be put out earlier than 24 hours prior to collection.

  • Bins are to be put away out of sight within 24 hours of collection, for example in the garage or the backyard.

This long-standing bin policy was reaffirmed in April 2018 and it is intended to improve the look of the Estate by not having bins visible from front windows of neighbouring houses or from the road. This policy is additional to the Kingston Council rules for bins for which fines may apply. The Kingston Council rules about the times to put out bins can be found at: https://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Services/Rubbish-and-Recycling/Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQs . To arrange a bin repair or replacement (free of charge), please call Council on 1300 653 356 or lodge a request online at https://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Services/Service-Requests-and-Payments/Bins.

❓ TV Antennas.

I have visited Pagewood Park and have observed that there are very few TV antennas, what is going on, don't people watch TV at Pagewood Park?

Pagewood Park has long had a policy of installing TV antennas inside the roof space of the houses. The lack of visible communications equipment on roofs is part of the look of the Estate. We are fortunate that this part of Cheltenham has a high TV signal strength and even old misaligned internal antennas can provide good reception.

Written Committee approval is required before an external TV antenna is installed or changed, see Additional Rule 4d. The Committee will consider approval only after receiving a report from a Digital TV antenna specialist giving:

• Outlet signal level - dB µV,

• Outlet MER - dB,

• Outlet BER - 2E-5, 2E-6, 2E-7.

If the Committee approves an external antenna is then it must be located such that it causes the least visual impact on the Estate, from the main roads and neighbours. The TV signal strength is very high in this area and so a tall antenna pole is not required. A short pole may hide the antenna from view.

A small number of approvals have been granted over the years, the main reason being that the metallic insulation foil in the living room cathedral ceiling space is in the "line of sight" between the internal TV antenna and the Mt. Dandenong transmission towers. Where an outside antenna is approved the owner should ensure that it minimises the visual impact for both residents, neighbours, and visitors. Some factors to consider are:

• Location on the roof (e.g. blind side of the house rather than the front),

• Height (e.g. no need to put on the top of a two-meter high pole),

• Antenna Type (e.g. use an antenna designed only for digital TV as these have shorter "arms" than the old analogue TV antennas).

❓ Solar (electricity generating PV) Panels.

See this page Solar Panels for information about electricity generating photovoltaic (PV) panels at Pagewood Park.

❓ Billing for Water Usage.

The 139 privately owned Lots are not individually metered for water. The way it works is that South East Water (SEW) reads the two water meters (one on the East side and one on the West side) and then works out the total water usage. They then divide the cost of the water used by 139 and then add on some other charges (a service charge, a sewerage charge, annually a parks charge) and they then send a tax invoice to each of the 139 Lots.  So each Lot receives (and pays) its own SEW tax invoice and the dollar amount is the same for each Lot for the same time period.

Can an owner have an individual water meter installed and read? The simple answer is no because a single owner cannot go it alone. All 139 Lots and the Caretaker's Cottage would need to be converted before any meters could be read by South East Water.

If all properties were individually metered each property would still be required to share the cost of any common water usage, such as the pool; the community hall; and the common garden areas.

The issue of installing individual water meters was raised again at the November 2008 AGM. The Chairman advised the meeting that this matter was considered several years previously and the total cost of installation of individual meters in the distant past was estimated to be in excess of $25,000. The meter and installation costs would be borne by each owner and some lots would be more difficult and expensive to do than others. Individual water bills could only commence after all the work was completed, i.e. the 140 houses and the Common areas, the latter would require additional pipework and taps. South East water would then need to read each individual meter and then add each lot's share of the Common water use to each individual water bill.

❓ External Painting of Houses.

The external paintwork of privately owned houses is refreshed at regular intervals in order to keep the estate looking good. It is the owner's responsibility to arrange for the painting to be done and to pay for any work, see Painting (External). 

Note: Clauses 48 and 129 of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 apply to external painting:

48. Lots not properly maintained

(1)   If a lot owner has refused or failed to carry out repairs, maintenance or other works to the lot owner's lot that are required because - 

      (a)   the outward appearance or outward state of repair of the lot is adversely affected; or

      (b)   the use and enjoyment of the lots or common property by other lot owners is adversely affected - 

       the owners corporation may serve a notice on the lot owner requiring the lot owner to carry out the necessary repairs, maintenance or other works.

(2)   If a lot owner has been served with a notice under sub-section (1), the lot owner must carry out the repairs, maintenance or other works required by the notice within 28 days of the service of the notice.

(3)  If a lot owner has been served with a notice under sub-section (1) and has not complied with the notice within the required time, the owners corporation may carry out the necessary repairs, maintenance or other works to the lot.

129.     Care of lots

A lot owner must -

(a)   properly maintain in a state of good and serviceable repair any part of the lot that affects the outward appearance of the lot or the use or enjoyment of other lots or the common property; and

(b)   maintain any service that serves that lot exclusively.

❓ Floor Heating System.

An electric floor heating element was installed in the concrete slab of each house during construction. The floor heating system consists of the heating element, an electrical relay in the meter box, an off-peak time clock in the meter box, and a "Honeywell" wall mounted temperature control in the house. The system heats the concrete slab if the room air temperature is lower than the desired temperature setting on the wall control AND the off-peak time clock is providing power.

The off-peak time clock was designed to provide power to the floor heating system from Midnight to 7 am (7 hours) and from 1 pm to 4 pm (3 hours). The heating element is usually in the living room floor and one other area, typically the bathroom.

Notes:

1. It is possible for a break to occur in the concrete-encased floor heating element. Just one break means the system will not work. Fixing a break involves locating it (tricky), drilling into the concrete slab, repairing the heating element, then repairing the hole in the slab.

2. Running costs. Even though it should be configured to use off-peak power the electric in-floor heating system is expensive to run. It uses about 21 kW/hr when active. A typical reverse cycle split air-conditioner (heating & cooling) uses about 4 kW.

3. The original mechanical off-peak time clock stops during power outages which means that the clock's time can change over the years. The off-peak clock will still provide power for the 7 hr and 3 hr on periods but these may not start at midnight and 1 pm any longer. Contact your energy retailer if you want the off-peak time clock to be set correctly.

4. The system does not provide instant heat, it takes many hours for the slab to get warm and even longer for that heat to transfer to the air. When the slab is turned off it takes a while to cool down.

5. The system is somewhat inefficient as heat is lost into to the ground, the slab heats both the room above and the ground below.

To operate the system simply:

• • Turn the knob of the wall temp control to set the desired temperature, say 20°C. The wall mounted temperature sensor is usually in the living room.

• If the room's air temperature is below the desired temperature AND the off-peak power is ON then the slab gets heated. If the room's air temperature goes above the set desired temperature then the wall thermostat turns off the slab heating.

• The system will only provide any heating during off-peak time clock periods.

❓ Hot Water Heating System.

An electric off-peak gravity feed hot water system was installed in the roof of each house during construction. The unit is powered from an off-peak time clock in the main meter box. The off-peak time clock was designed to provide power to the system from Midnight to 7 am (7 hours) and from 1 pm to 4 pm (3 hours).   

Notes:

1. Running costs. The system is more expensive to run than a modern gas-powered mains pressure hot water system.

2. The original mechanical off-peak time clock stops during power outages which means that the clock's time can change over the years. The off-peak clock will still provide power for the 7 hr and 3 hr on periods but these may not start at midnight and 1 pm any longer. Contact your energy retailer if you want the off-peak time clock to be set correctly.

3. If the hot water runs out then one must wait for the next off-peak on cycle.

❓ Insurance

The Owners Corporation pays for the insurance of the community hall and other common property as well as public liability insurance for common property areas. The Owners Corporation does not cover building  insurance, contents insurance, or public liability insurance for privately owned Lots, they are the responsibility of the Lot owner.

❓ NBN at Pagewood Park

The preferred Pagewood Park NBN connection is hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) using the existing underground Telstra/Foxtel co-axial cable system. There is some NBN information in the attached document below. 

❓ Water Use Rules 

Check out the South East Water restrictions HERE.

❓ Tree Removal

See the Policy - Trees webpage on this site.